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feel (excellent mellow vocal too), or tough blues-rock with ‘Kick Your Ass’ or the powerhouse
boogie of ‘Pretty Baby’.

Certainly there is occasionally a pronounced influence too from Jimi Hendrix in the guitar work
— it’s not full-on but it might be in the chords or the solo, or both, though on ‘Don’t F*ck Up My
Car’ it is also present in the lyrics and vocals. As you might have gathered (and the band name
suggests), there’s something of an attitude about these guys too. Overall, this is a muscular

blues-rock set, though also stylistically a far more varied release than that statement might lead
you to expect.

Norman Darwen

(www.facebook.com/bluesfighters)

Lone Star Mojo — Rough Around the Edges — Independent
As the name suggests, this five piece blues-rock outfit is based in
Wichita Fall, Texas. With a line-up of two guitars, Hammond organ,
bass and drums (with everyone helping out on vocals), it makes
sense that sometimes their music has strong echoes of Robert
Cray’s approach to the modern blues — take a listen to ‘Texas
Drought’. It’s a sound that few blues-rockers tend to attempt, but
Lone Star Mojo certainly capture it well.

Before this though, they have already set their stall out well on the
first couple of numbers, with the rock-tinged opener and the fine
blues shuffle of ‘Victim Of The Blues’. The performance of the raw
funk-blues of ‘Big As A Bus’ lives up to the album title — and that’s not a bad thing, by the way.
‘Low Down Dirty Side Of The Blues’ is a no-nonsense slow blues with some direct lyrics pulling

no punches.

It’s no surprise to learn that these guys all have at least a half century of experience of playing
the blues. It shows, and they haven’t let sophistication dilute their sound. On these fifteen tracks,
in addition to those styles already mentioned you’ll hear hints of Z.Z. Top, BB and Freddie King,
Bobby Bland, Scott Ellison, Johnny Winter, and T-Bone Walker. You’ll also hear a bit of rock in
the Rolling Stones strut of ‘Crazy About That Woman’ or the slide-driven ‘Fine And Nasty’. And
the title says it all for the closing ‘Toppish Groove’, a fine end to a strong set; this is Texas after
all!

Norman Darwen

(www.lonestarmojo.net)

Tio Manuel - ¡Ocho! — El Tio— CD3-Kebra’s

This is the eighth album from singer/ guitarist Manu Castillo —
a.k.a. Tio Manuel - as the title implies. It is a good one too, based
largely in a dark Americana sound incorporating a lot of blues.

Tio is backed by a fine band including a tight rhythm section, and
occasional guests on dobro (try ‘Le Voyage’ to hear it at its best),
piano, saxophone and backing vocals; oh, and by the way, he sings
in English most of the time. The opener, ‘Bad Cloud Blues’ is
probably inspired by Led Zeppelin’s cover of Memphis Minnie’s